Condos shouldn't flush away cash

Could your Florida condominium community be flushing money away? Or passing up opportunities to save cash?

That was virtually the case for the Devon condominium community in Tamarac, a 55-and-older campus made up of 10 buildings and as many separate associations.

Four of those condo communities recently took advantage of a city grant allowing them to replace bathroom toilets with newer low-flush models expected to save each of the communities thousands of dollars a year in lower water bills. The program tapped by Devon isn't available, but others are still in effect. Read on and see why you might want to explore them.

"I feel a board has an obligation and a fiduciary responsibility to its condo owners to keep their association maintained up to the best standards that it they are able to," said Stuart Fisher, president of the master association, the Devon Condominium Association of Kings Point. "Knowing that our owners are getting older, we try to make changes in our community that will make life a lot easier."

The Devon community will end up replacing at least 250 toilets, and that adds up to a lot of savings over time.

The new commodes now use 1.2 gallons of water per flush compared with the replaced ones, which consumed up to six gallons, Fisher said. So, for example, Building B in Devon replaced two toilets per unit in its 36-unit building, and received a $6,300 grant check to cover the cost. And the association should save an estimated $3,600 or more per year by using less water.

The new fixtures offer Devon owners another notable benefit: They are taller in size, making them easier to climb off, a real perk for some of the Devon's older residents. Unfortunately, the Tamarac grant has run out of funds and several of Devon's other condo associations are now wishing they had signed up previously, said Fisher, who heard about it and got community's property management company involved.

He credits Consolidated Community Management with helping to secure and finalize the grant project.

"There are [various] open-ended opportunities for community associations to participate in available grant programs" on county and city levels, said Jim Miles, owner of Consolidated. And they are available at state, county and city levels, he said, adding "Often times the local grants are much easier and more flexible to work with."